How to Help Your ESL Students in Distance Learning Model

5 steps to get you started

The country (and the world) has been thrown a curveball with the requirement to implement distance learning for our students. 

Many school districts face an enormous challenge to rally up hundreds and thousands of students and ensure they receive quality education in the face of a pandemic. 

ESL students are among the most vulnerable groups and face an even bigger challenge. 

How can we help them during this time of uncertainty?

In this blog post, I will share 5 steps of how to get started with teaching English learners remotely. You are also invited to join a free webinar on how to help your ESL beginners during this distance learning period.

Step 1. Mindset shift

Distance learning and teaching is not something most of us are familiar with. We are experts at teaching live, utilizing body language, realia and instant feedback. 

It is important for us to give ourselves permission not to be perfect. The way we are dealing with this situation is already a teachable moment for our English learners. 

Let’s take inventory of our own expertise and our students’ abilities and work with that. You know, the CAN DO style. It could be a chance for more personal connection rather than just the curriculum.

This is a long game. There will be positives that will come out of this. 

In addition, our students likely have gone through unimaginable situations, which built their resilience and broader perspective on life. This is our moment to build that. 

Finally, those tech skills we were lacking? We are definitely building those, whether you teach online or not:)

Step 2. Start where you are

There is enough uncertainty out there in the world right now. And there is no need to create even more chaos for yourself.  All you can do is look at what you have and what you can work with. 

If you are required to work online:

• Set up your Google Classroom
• Create a short video of yourself welcoming your students and telling them what is expected. Give them a task at the end of the video.
• Post a weekly calendar with assignments in Google Classroom so students know what to expect going forward.
  • Here is a template of a calendar you can use – just make a copy and add your own info.

If your students have NO access to technology (to feasibly teach them and expect them to complete work):

Send packets home (yes, any age group).

What to include in a packet?

~  letter from you to the students (and the parents). Translate it to their language if possible and necessary. 

~ clear and concise instructions on what you want the students to do. Less is more. 

~ a week’s worth of activities. 

Step 3. Less is more

The Google Classroom assignment or the packet does not have to be full of new information requiring your ESL students to read extensively and analyze causes and effects. 

Here is what a weekly class could look like:

•  A weekly schedule with things to do on each day (whether online or off)

Elementary ESL	Grades 6-12 ESL
A base lesson, on which all other activities are built.  For example,  Monday – read an article or a short story or a few sentences  Tuesday – write down new words three times each;  Wednesday – watch a video and/or write three sentences about what you read  Thursday – create something related to the reading (using blocks, legos or whatever you have available at home); Friday – draw a comic strip	A base lesson, on which all other activities are built.  For example, Monday – read an article or a short story and highlight new words Tuesday – find definitions for new words. You may use a translator Wednesday – answer questions about the reading. Must use new words in your answer Thursday – compare and contrast two topics Friday – Write a journal/record a Flipgrid answer to a question

• Higher level students, who need to practice writing could have writing prompts for each day of the week. 
• Send books from school for beginner level students. Ask them to write down a word or two each day. Then write a sentence with it.

Note: 

Depending on the logistics and resources of your school, here are a couple of things to keep in mind:

• It might be best to send one week’s package at a time. First, we don’t know how long we will be out of school. Second, sending a huge package to someone who is not very comfortable in English might be beyond overwhelming and they will simply not do it. 
• Include information on how they can contact you. Different districts have different policies regarding parent communication but in my opinion, the ESL population needs more information than is sent out to the general public. More often than not, parents do not ask what is happening because they themselves don’t feel confident in their English skills. And that is where we, the ESL teachers, come in. 

Step 4. Technology tools

In my recent blog post, I mentioned the tools that would be really helpful in teaching English learners online. 

In addition, a good friend of mine, who has a YouTube channel for English learner teachers, shared other resources you could use in distance learning and teaching. 

Step 5. Do, learn, rinse, repeat

Distance learning, remote teaching, online education – whatever you call it – has left us all reeling with questions and uncertainty but also with opportunities.

We, too, have become students. And let’s remember: we do not expect students to be perfect the first time. 

Plan it, implement it, learn from it, tweak it, repeat. 

That’s why let’s utilize an opportunity to become really clear on what we want and need for ourselves and our students. 

Let’s grab the opportunity to say precisely what you mean (after all, the body language part of live communication has certainly become more limited).

And of course, this is our opportunity to create and inspire.

Some closing thoughts

While what I shared is not an exhaustive list of things you can do, I hope it gives you some clarity and ideas. 

Remember, we are learning as we go. We are flying the plane as we are building it. 

And it will be okay. 

Join me for a free webinar 5 Steps to Helping ESL Beginners During Distance Learning Period (k-12), and not only learn about these steps in greater detail but also get a PD certificate for your time spent learning.

Here are some links to resources that I mentioned in the post and that you find helpful during this time. 

My blog post about remote learning 

Free weekly schedule template

The ESL Teaching Roadmap – for lesson plans and personal support

The Language Lady Youtube Channel

What is your plan for teaching your students?

Will you be doing it online? Will you be sending packets home?

Does your district require you to work at all during this time?

Share in the comments, I love hearing from you!